Ishpatina Ridge is the highset point in my home province of Ontario, Canada.
The ridge is located in Lady Evelyn – Smooth Water Provincial Park, near Sudbury, Ontario. At 693m or 2275 ft., the ridge is the third lowest high point in the list, with only PEI and Nova Scotia’s points being at lower elevation.
For many years, the standard approach for Ishpatina Ridge was a long and difficult canoe/portage route through Lady Evelyn. However, an over-land route has been developed over the last few years.
My initial plan to was to attempt the canoe route. I’ve paddled off and on over the years, and a good friend (who happens to be a canoe guide in Algonquin) had always wanted to go paddle in Lady Evilyn. Unfortunately, after reviewing the map, my guide friend felt the undertaking was too much for the two of us and declined the trip. Not knowing anyone else who paddles and I’d be ok spending that much time with, I started looking into the over-land route.
From what I’d read about the over-land route, one first weaves their way through a number of in-use logging roads. They then come to a parking lot/camp site of sorts, near a river crossing. After crossing the river, there’s a series of disused logging roads in various states of repair, that can be hiked or cycled. When the roads end, there’s a few km of bushwacking. Eventually you come upon the former site of a cabin, with a trail leading from there to the top of the ridge.
With this new plan, I reached out to my friend Angela*, an avid cyclist who’d just moved back to Northern Ontario after spending most of her teens and adult life in Toronto. Angela and I met when our kids were small, meaning we’ve known each other for longer than we’d care to admit. We also work together. When I suggested the trip, she jumped at the chance to get out of her comfort zone and into the wilderness.
We planned the trip for Labour Day Weekend to allow ourselves three days in total for the trip. At that time the bugs would be minimal, the ground wouldn’t be too wet and the nights would still be warm enough to that we wouldn’t need heavy sleeping bags and layers. I’d catch the Ontario Northland bus up to her place after work on Friday with most of the gear. We’d repack Friday night, grab a few food items Saturday morning and then head out.
I set about collecting as much information as possible (paper and digital maps, first-hand encounters, YouTube videos), planning and pulling together all the gear. Angela started training for the long hike and the last push up the hill.
Four months passed…
Friday September 2nd arrives. I head to the bus station to catch my bus, get to the stall just at
the doors close and watch the bus drive off while I’m banging on the glass and calling out. I’d missed the bus.
Thankfully my partner, Rob, and Angela came up with a plan: Rob would drive me to the Baskin Robins in Barrie and Angela would pick me up from there. And so, the Odessy begins.
Angela and I finally arrived at her place quite late. She was also puppy sitting and the puppy was not happy at having been left alone. With thunderstorms in the forecast for Saturday morning, and the promise of little sleep the next day, we decided to make Saturday a relaxed day of shopping, packing, sight seeing. We’d leave early afternoon, assuming the rain had passed, and set up camp for the night at the trail head with plans for an early morning start.
Saturday morning we picked up the last of the food we needed and walked the puppy. We were cozy indoors, repacking everything, when the storm hit. Once it cleared, we headed to the Crystal Cave for some lunch and to take a peek at the iconic local shop. And then, we were on the road.
We stayed on the highway up past Sudbury and through to a maze of logging roads near Capreol. I’d printed out a map showing the trail head and all the local logging roads, then back traced from the trail head to the highway to guide us. This map, in combination with mapping provided on my phone via my InReach Mini2 kept us right no track. For the first 3/4 of the trip, we saw no one save folks who camp on the local Crown Land.
AND THEN…
Suddenly there were three cars ahead of us, heavily laden with people, supplies, bicycles and even a canoe. We followed these folks the last 1/4 of the way and into the gravel parking lot/campsite at the trail head. There were several more cars parked along the side of the road, just before the bridgeless river crossing. We’d expected few people, but here we were, surrounded by Geocachers and a few others who’d chosen to spend their long weekend, hiking into the Middle of Nowhere, Ontario. We had a great evening, getting to know some of these folks, sharing charcuterie and pie (theirs – we were travelling light with dehydrated food).
We slept. We rose. We caffeinated. We packed up. We tried to ride our bikes with our packs on which proved to be a no-go.
On to Plan B, which was really my Plan A – hiking in the whole way.
And so, after watching the Geocachers awkwardly ford the river with their electric bike in a canoe, while plunging through the chest deep water themselves, we crossed the river about 10 feet down, where it only came up to our ankles. After putting our boots back on, we headed off along a rather well preserved, though abandoned, logging road.
After another (shallow) river crossing, the logging road split off – to the left, of the same quality we’d travelled thus far; to the right, a mossy, somewhat boggy, fairy trail marked with a pair of old boots and a “School Crossing” sign with “Ishpatina Ridge” scrawled on it in what looked like nail polish.
We followed the trail to the right until it ended rather abruptly in a mossier, boggier forest where our bush-whack began. We weaved through the moist forest, deadfall, and underbrush, generally following trail marker tape of assorted colours and the bearing provided via the InReach. The terrain became much rougher through here, with lots of ups and downs. In places there was no alternative but to climb over or under massive fallen trees, balance along logs in an attempt to keep our feet dry, and skirt close impossibly close to the edge of the lakes we passed.
Upon reaching the site of the former Towerman’s cabin, we discovered there were others camped there who’d come in via portage. They’d taken up the entire site, so we decided to hike through for now and worry about camping a bit later. Just past the site, we joined up with a well-worn trail marked with a portage sign that leads up Ishpatina to the summit of the ridge. Due to the heat and the incline, we dropped our packs on the side of the trail, taking only water, a couple of bars, trekking poles and navigation equipment to finish the ascent. It’s amazing how much lighter you feel when you crawl out of your 45lbs pack after more than 10km of hiking on a hot day. Mixed with probable dehydration, I was giddy, I felt like I was floating.
Further up the hill, we came upon a depression in the land full of rushes and cat tails with tall snags standing throughout. About 20 feet to our left there was clear water – we’d reached the unfortunately named “Dick Lake” – something we’d been joking about since we’d set out. We balanced along a large log, set up as a bridge along the edge of the marsh surrounding the lake, and continued on up the trail. A few minutes later our first sight of the fire tower greeted us, visible only through the crack in the canopy created by the trail, towering above the trees. Our pace had slowed to a crawl, but the sight of the tower pushed us onward. Within 20 minutes WE’D GAINED THE SUMMIT! and were rewarded with a awe-inspiring, panoramic view.
We took a half hour on top for pictures, a rest, a quick call home (cell service!) and to contemplate climbing the tower (Nope!) before heading back down to collect our packs and look for a place to camp. Luckily by time we’d reached the Towerman’s cabin site, the folks who were there before had left and more reasonable company had taken up residence there, inviting us to join. We spent a pleasant night, soaking our feet in the cool lake, eating and chatting with two other hikers who’d decided the best way to find themselves was to get lost.
The next day we packed up, had a quick breakfast and headed back to the car. The return trip was faster, but still took longer than expected and we reached the car, and eventually the highway, with little time to spare to get me to my bus home. After several calls to adjust my rendezvous point with the bus, while Angela chased the bus down the highway, we eventually caught up with it in Huntsville. With my duffel full of gear stowed safely in the belly of the bus, I napped most of the way home after a successful trip in excellent company.
Angela and I had discussed doing a “fast and light” version of the trip this year on the same weekend, however the bursitis in my shoulder had other plans for me. We hope to give it a shot again next year, because why not?
For Reference:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/ontario/ishpatina-ridge
Recommended maps – Topo map 41-P/7 Smoothwater Lake, 41-P/2 Pilgrim Creek
My adventure partner for this one was *Angela Shillolo, we do a great talk/slideshow on our adventure and the folks we met along the way. If you’d like to book us for a speaking engagement, please reach out!